A highlight of any
trip to Vietnam, Hoi An is a town oozing
charm and history, having largely escaped the destruction of
successive wars. Once a sleepy riverside village, it s now quite
definitely a tourist town - with
hotels, restaurants, bars,
tailors and souvenir shop dominating the old centre. Despite
this air of irreality, Hoi An's charisma pervades. The local
People's Committee periodicallv clamps down on touts, and while
this doesn't mean a completely hassle-free visit, a stroll down
the street is usually more relaxed here than in
Hue or
Nha Trang.
Hoi An is pedestrian friendly: the Old Town is closed to cars
and the distances from the hotels to the centre are walkable.
It's a great place to hire a bike, Known as Faifo to Western
traders, from the 17th to 19th centuries it was one of Southeast
Asia's major international ports. Vietnamese ships and sailors
based here sailed all around Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
Perhaps more than any other place in Vietnam, Hoi An retains a
sense of history that envelops you as you explore it. This is
especially true on 'Hoi An Legendary Night’. Every month on the
full moon, motorbikes are banned from the Old Town, which is
transformed into a magical land of silk lanterns, traditional
food, song and dance, and games in the streets. Every year
during the rainy season, particu-larly in October and November,
Hoi An has problems with flooding, especially in areas close to
the waterfront. The greatest flood ever recorded in Hoi An took
place in 1964, when the water reached all the way up to the roof
beams of the houses. In late 2006 the town bore the brunt of the
worst typhoon in 50 years, although at the time of research
repairs were well in hand. There's plenty So do in Hoi An. Emphati-cally the most enchanting place along the coast, this is
one spot worth lingering in.
Recently excavated ceramic fragments from 2200 years ago
constitute the earliest evidence of human habitation in the Hoi
An area. They are thought to belong to the late Iron Age Sa
Huynh civilisation, which is related to the Dong Son culture of
northern Vietnam. From the 2nd to the 10th centuries, this was a
busy seaport of the Champa kingdom. Persian and Arab documents
from the latter part of the period mention Hoi An as a
provisions stop. Archaeologists have un-covered the foundations
of numerous
Cham towers around Hoi An: the bricks and .stone
were reused by Vietnamese settlers. In 1307 the Cham king
married the daughter of a monarch of the Tran dynasty and
presented Quang Nam province to the Vietnamese as a gift. After
his death, his successor refused to recognise the deal and
fighting broke out; for the next century chaos reigned. By the
15th century peace had been restored, allowing nor mal commerce
to resume. During the next four centuries Chinese, Japanese,
Dutch Portuguese, Spanish, Indian, Filipino, Indonesian, Thai,
French, British and American ships came to Hoi An to purchase
high-grade silk ( for which the area is famous), fabrics, paper,
por-celain. tea, sugar, molasses, areca nuts, pepper, Chinese
medicines, elephant tusks, beeswax, mother-of-pearl, lacquer,
sulphur and lead. The Chinese and Japanese traders sailed south
in the spring, driven by winds from the northeast. They would
stay in Hoi An until the summer, when southerly winds would blow
them home. During their four-month sojourn in Hoi An, the
merchants rented waterfront houses for use as warehouses and
living quarters. Some traders began leaving full-time agents in
Hoi An to take care of off-season business affairs. This is how
foreign colonies got started, although the japanese ceased
coming to Hoi An after 1637, when the Japanese government
forbade all contact with the outside world, Hoi An was the site
of the first Chinese settlement in
southern Vietnam. The town's
Chinese hoi quan (congregational assembly halls) still play a
special role among southern Vietnam's ethnic Chinese, some of
whom come to Hoi An from all over the region to participate in
congregation-wide celebrations Today 1300 of Hoi An's population
of 75,800 are ethnic Chinese. Relations between ethnic
Vietnamese and ethnic Chinese in Hoi An arc excellent, partly
because the Chinese have be come assimilated to the point where
they even speak Vietnamese among themselves. This was also *he
first place in Vietnam to be exposed to Christianity. Among the
17th-century missionary visitors was the French priest Alexandre
de Rhodes, who devised the Latin-based quoc ngu script for the
Vietnam ese language. Hoi An was almost completely destroyed
during the Tay Son Rebellion. It was rebuilt and continued to
serve as an important port for foreign trade until the late 19th
century, when the Thu Bon River (Cat River), which links Hoi An
with the sea, silted up and became too shallow for navigation.
During this period
Danang (Tourane) began to eclipse Hoi An as a
port and centre of commerce. In 1916 a rail line linking Danang
with Hoi An was destroyed in a terrible storm; it was never
rebuilt, Under French rule Hoi An served as an ad -ministrative
centre. During the American War the city, with the cooperation
of both sides, remained almost completely undamaged.Sights
Now a Unesco World Heritage site. Hoi An
Old Town is governed by preservation laws that are well
up to speed. Several buildings of historical and cultural
significance are open to; public viewing, a number of streets in
the centre of town are off-limits to cars, and building
alterations and height restrictions are well enforced. It only
Hanoi would follow suit in its historic
Old Quarter. The
admission fee goes towards funding this conservation work. This
ticket gives you a complicated choice of heritage
attractions to
visit. You can attend a traditional music show at the handicraft
workshop, and one each of the four following types of
attractions: muse ums; assembly halls; old houses; and other'.If
you want to visit additional a tractions, then it is necessary
to buy another ticket; there are ticket offices dotted around
the centre. But for those who only want to buy one ticket, what
are the best options' The most in foresting museum is that of
Trading Ceramics mainly for the building it's housed in. Among
the assembly halls, the Fujian folk probably have the edge. When
it comes to old houses the Tran Family Chapel offers an
interesting and informative tour. Finally there is that obscure
'other’ category; the shrine in the Japa-nese Bridge or Quan
Cong Temple. Choose the temple: the Japanese Bridge ticket just
gets you into a small shrine that is second-best to the bridge
itself, which you can enjoy free. The system doesn't seem to be
too well monitored, but hopefully the fees do get collected and
end up as part of the restoration and preservation fund. Not all
of HOI An's old houses and assembly halls require a ticket, and
there's certainly nothing to stop anybody from wandering the old
streets to admire the houses. Despite the number of tourists who
conic to Hoi An, it is still a conservative town, and visitors
should dress modestly when visiting the sites.JAPANESE COVERED BRIDGE

This famed bridge (Cau Nhat Ban)
connects Ð Tran Phu with Ð Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. the first
bridge on this site was constructed in the 1590s. It was built
by the Japanese community of Hoi An in order to link them with
the Chinese quarters across the stream. The
Japanese Covered
Bridge is very solidly constructed; the original builders were
concerned about the threat of earthquakes. Over the centuries
the ornamentation has remained relatively faithful to the
original Japanese design. Its understatement contrasts greatly
with the Vietnamese and Chinese penchant for wild decoration.
The French flattened out the road way to make it suitable for
their motor vehicles, but the original arched shape was restored
during major renovation work in 1986. Built into the northern
side of the bridge is a small temple
(Chua Cau; admission HOI An Old Town ticket). The writing over
its door is the name given to the bridge in 1719 to replace the
name meaning Japanese Covered Bridge. However the new name, Lai
Vien Kieu (Bridge for Passers-by from Afar), never quite caught
on. According to legend, there once lived an enormous monster
called Cu, who had its head in India, its tail in Japan and its
body in Vietnam. Whenever the monster moved, terrible disasters
such as floods and earthquakes befell Vietnam. This bridge was
built on the monster's weakest point and killed it, but the
people of Hoi An took pity on the slain monster and built this
temple to pray for its soul. The entrances of the bridge are
guarded by a pair of monkeys on one side and a pair of dogs on
the other. According to one story, these animals were popularly
revered because many of Japan s emperors were born in years of
the dog and monkey. Another tale says that construction of the
bridge started in the year of the monkey and was finished in the
year of the dog. The stelae, listing all the Vietnamese and
Chinese contributors to a subsequent restoration of the bridge,
are written in chu nho (Chinese characters) - the nom script had
not yet become popular in these parts.MUSEUMS
Showcasing a collection of blue and white ceramics of the Dai
Viet period, the Museum of Trading Ceramics occupies a simply restored
house made of dark wood. In particular. check out the great
ceramic mosaic that's set above tlie pond in the inner
courtyard. Housed in the Quan Am Pagoda the Hoi An Museum of
History & Culture has a small collection of bronze temple
bells, gongs and Cham artefacts. Artefacts from the early Dong
Son civilisa tion of Sa Huynh are displayed downstairs at the
Museum of Sa Huynh Culture & Museum of the Revolution.
Upstairs, the Revolution museum has the usual collection of
local photos and mementos of the last two wars, including a boat
used to transport cadres. It would be more accessible if full
English captions were provided,ASSEMBLY HALLSAssembly Hall of the Fujian ChineseCongregation
Founded as a place to hold community meetings, this
assembly hall was later
trans-formed into a temple for the worship of Thien Hau, a deity
from Fujian province.The triple gate to the complex was built in
1975. The mural on the right-hand wall near the entrance to the
main hall depicts Thien Hau, her way lit by lantern light as she
crosses a stormy sea to rescue a foundering ship. On the wall
opposite is a mural of the heads of the six Fujian families who
fled from China to Hoi An in the 17th century, following the
overthrow of the Ming dynasty. The penultimate chamber contains
a statue of Thien Hau. To either side of the entrance stand
red-skinned Thuan Phong Nhi and green-skinned Thien Iy Nhan.
When cither sees or hears sailors in distress, they inform Thien
Hau, who sets off to effect a rescue The replica of a Chinese
boat along the right hand wall is 1:20 scale. The central altar
in the last chamber contains seated figures of the heads of the
six Fujian families. The smaller figures below them represent
their successors as clan leaders. Behind the altar on the left
is the God of Prosperity. On the right are three fairies and
smaller figures representing the 12 ba mu (midwives), each of
whom teaches newborns a different skill necessary for the first
year of life: smiling, sucking, lying on their stomachs and so
forth. Childless couples often come here to pray for offspring.
The three groups of figures in this chamber represent the ele-
ments most central to Chinese life; ancestors, children and
financial wellbeing. The middle altar of the room to the right
of the courtyard commemorates deceased leaders of the Fujian
congregation. On either side are lists of contributors - women
on the left and men on the right. The wall panels represent the
four seasons. The Fujian assembly hai1 is fairly well lit and
can be visited after dark. Shoes shouId be removed upon mounting
the platform just past the naves.OLD HOUSES:
Tan Ky House
Built two centuries ago as the home of a well-to-do
ethnic-Vietnamese merchant. Tan Ky House
(Tell: 861 474; 101Ð Nguyen Thai Hoc; admission Hoi An
Old Town ticket; Time 8am-noon $ 2-43.0pm) has been lovingly
preserved and today looks almost exactly as it did in the early
19th century. The design of Tan Ky House shows some evidence of
the Japanese and Chinese influence on local architecture.
Japanese elements include the ceiling (in the area immediately
before the courtyard), which is supported by three progressively
shorter beams, one on top of the other. There are similar beams
in the salon. Under the crab-shell ceiling there are carvings of
crossed sabres wrapped in silk ribbon. The sabres symbolise
force, the silk represents flexibility. Chinese poems written in
inlaid mother of pearl are hung from a number of the column that
hold up the roof. The Chinese character on these 150-year-old
panels are formed entirely of birds gracefully portrayed in
various positions of flight. The courtyard here has several
functions to let in light, provide ventilation, bring a glimpse
of nature into the home, and collect rainwater and provide
drainage. The stone tiles covering the patio floor were brought
from Thanh Hoa province in north-central Vietnam. The carved
wooden balcony supports around the courtyard are decorated with
grape leaves, which are a European import and further evidence
of the unique blending of cultures that took place in Hoi An The
back of the house faces the river. In the past, this section of
the building was rented out to foreign merchants. That the house
was a place of commerce as well as a residence is indicated by
the two pulleys attached to a beam in the storage loft just
inside the front door. The exterior of the roof is made of
tiles; inside, the ceiling consists of wood. This design keeps
the house cool in summer and warm in winter. The floor tiles
were brought from near Hanoi. Tan Ky House is a private home;
the owner, whose family has lived here for seven generations,
speaks fluent French and English.Tran Family ChapelThe Tran family moved from China to Vietnam in around 1700.
Built in 1802, the Tran Family Chapel
is a house for
worshipping ancestors. It was built by one of the Tran clan who
ascended to the rank of mandarin and once served as an
Ambassador to China. His picture is to the right of the chapel.
The architecture of the building reflects the influence of
Chinese and Japanese styles the central door is reserved tor the
dead -- it's opened at Tet and on the anniversary of the main
ancestor. Traditionally, women entered from the left and men
from the right, although these distinctions are no longer oh
served in supposedly egalitarian communist Vietnam. The wooden
boxes on the altar contain the Tran ancestors' stone tablets -
featuring chiselled Chinese characters setting out the dates of
birth and death - along with some small personal effects. On the
anniversary of each family member's death, their box is opened,
incense is burned and food is of fered. Nowadays photographs
have replaced the stone tablets. There's a museum and souvenir
shop at the hack of the chapel. The small garden behind is where
the placentas of newborn family members are buried - the
practice is meant to prevent fighting between the children.Quan Thang HouseThis private house is three
centuries old and has been in the family for six generations.
having been built by an ancestor who was a Chinese captain.
Again, the architecture in¬cludes Japanese and Chinese elements.
There is some especially fine carving on the teak walls of the
rooms around the courtyard, on the roof beams and under the
crab-shell roof (in the salon next to the courtyard). Look out
for the green ceramic tiles built into the railing around the
courtyard balcony.Phung Hung Old HouseIn a lane full of beautiful buildings, this old
house stands out. It's still a family home,
having housed eight generations over 226 years. At present it
showcases hand embroidery and souvenirs; wander through and
enjoy the ambience.TEMPLES & PAGODAS:Quan
Cong Temple
Founded in 1653, Quan Cong Temple
is
dedicated to Quan Cong - a highly esteemed Chinese general who
is worshipped as a symbol of loyalty, sincerity, integrity and
justice His partiallv gilt statue, made of papier-rnâché on a
wooden frame, is in the central altar at the back of the
sanctuary. On the left is a statue of General Chau Xuong, one of
Quan Cong's guardians, striking a tough-guy pose On the right is
the rather camp and plump administrative mandarin Quan Binh. The
life-size white horse recalls a mount ridden bv Quan Cong, until
he was given a red horse of extraordinary endurance,
representations of which are common in Chinese pagodas. Check
out the carp-shaped rain spouts or, the roof surrounding the
courtyard The carp is a symbol of patience in Chinese mythology
and is popular in Hoi An. Shoes should be removed when mounting
the platform in front of the statue of Quan Cong.COOKING COURSES
For many visitors to Vietnam the food is, a highlight and eating
it a serious activity in itself. Hoi An is Foodie Heaven, and
budding gourmets who want to take a step further into
Vietnamese
cuisine will find ample opportunlty here. Many of the popular
eateries offer
cooking classes, and the best bit is that you
then get to sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labour. One of
the best classes is offered by Hai Scout
Cafe at its Red Bridge Cooking School (Starting out with
a trip to the market, you then cruise down the river to this
relaxing retreat about 4km from Hoi An The lesson includes a
tour of the herb garden, making rice paper, several local
specialities and some decorative nourishes - although it's hard
to imagine how your dinner party guests hack home will react to
tomatoes morphed into roses and lotus flowers.The class costs
235,000d per person; it starts at 8.45am and finishes at 1 pm.
You're given print-outs of the recipes to try at home.

AROUND HOI AN

Cam Kim IslandThe master woodcarvers, who in previous-centuries produced the
fine carvings that graced the homes of Hoi An's merchants and
the town's public buildings, came from Kim Bong Village on Cam
Kim Island . Most of the woodcarvings on sale in Hoi An are
produced here. To reach the island, catch one of the boats that
leave from the boat landing at Ð Hoang Van Thu in Hoi An
(10,000d, one hour).Cham IslandCham Island is 21km from Hoi An in the South China Sea. The
island is famous as a source of swiftlet nests. It's also part
of the Cu Lao Cham Marine Park - comprising eight islands, it's
home to 155 species of coral, 202 species offish, four species
of lobster and 84 species of mollusc. Diving trips can be
arranged through Rainbow Divers. Permits are needed to visit
Cham Island, which still houses a naval base. Public boats leave
from the landing on Ð Bach Dang in Hoi An between 7am and Sam
and the one-way journey takes three hours, but it's difficult
for foreigners to organise the paperwork to travel on one of
these boats. It's easiest to book with a travel agency - a day
trip costs 18,000d, while an overnighter staying in tents on the
beach is around 35,000d. These tours are heavily dependent on
the weather.Thanh HaNot so long ago there were many pottery factories in this
village, 3km west of Hoi An, but the industry has been in
decline. The remaining artisans employed in this hot and sweaty
work don't mind if you stop for a gander, though they're happier
if you buy something-Many tours to My Son visit here on the way
hack to Hoi An. For a more personalised experience, contact
Mr Trung (Tell: 922 695), a
villager who arranges day tours, including lunch and transport,
for around USS10.CRAVING THAT PERFECT
FIT

Having clothes made in Hoi An is extremely addictive.
You may be able to walk past the first few tailor stores without
wavering but given that you're likely to pass dozens every day
you spend here, chances are you'll eventually crack. And when
you do, watch out. It's not unusual to see even hardened blokes
gleefully ploughing through fabric rolls, trying to pick the
perfect satin lining for that second new suit Hoi An's numerous
tailors can make anything and usually within a day. They're
master copiers -bring in an item of clothing you want duplicated
or a picture in a magazine, pick out your fabric and the next
day your vision will be brought to life. Many have current
fashion catalogues to leaf through. They're also extremely
skilled in the art of flattering and pampering. A fitting
session can do wonders for the ego - 'You look so -good in
that...why not buy another one?' Bargaining has a place here,
but basically you get what you pay for. The better tailors and
better fabrics are more expensive. One of the hundreds of
tailors will probably knock out a men's suit for US$20, but a
good-quality, lined woollen suit is more likely to cost US$40 to
US$70. Shirts, skirts and casual trousers hover around the US$10
mark. The trick is to pick a shop you're comfortable with know
your fabrics, check in advance on the details (thread colour,
linings and buttons) and allow plenty of time for fittings and
adjustments. When buying silk, it's important to ascertain that
it's real and not a synthetic imitation. The only real test is
with a cigarette or match (synthetic fibres melt and silk
burns), but try not to set the shop on fire. If you're concerned
about its authenticity ask for a cut-off sample of the material
and go outside to test it. Similarly, don't accept on face value
that a fabric is 100% cotton or wool without giving it a good
feel and ensuring you're happy with the quality. Remember to
check the seams of the finished garment: a single set of
stitching along the inside edges will soon cause fraying and, in
many cases, big gaping holes. All well-tailored garments have a
second set of stitches (known in the trade as blanket
stitching), which binds the edge, oversewing the fabric so
fraying is impossible. Where possible, also insist on the
clothes being lined, as it helps them move and fall in the right
direction. There are so many tailors that it's difficult to
single out individual stores for mention, and impossible
(although tempting) to test them all out. Most use a range of
outsourced workers who can vary in quality. If you're planning
on getting a lot of stuff made, consider trying out a couple of
shops with small items before taking the plunge on your wedding
dress. That said, some places we're heard good things about are
Phuoc An (Tell: 862 615; 6 Ð Le Loi),
Yaly (Tell: 910 474; 47 Ð Nguyen
Thai Hoc), A Dong Silk (Tell:
861386; 40 Ð Le Loi) and Faifoo
(Tell: 862 566; Ð Tran Hung Dao).

MY SON
SANCTUARY

Set within the jungle 55km from Hoi An are
the enigmatic
ruins of My Son, the most
important remains of the ancient kingdom of Champa and a Unesco
World Heritage site. Although Vietnam has better preserved Cham
sites, none are as extensive and few have such beautiful
surroundings - in a verdant valley surrounded by hills and
overlooked by Cat's Tooth Mountain (Hon Quap). Clear streams run
between the .structures and past nearby coffee plantations.
During the centuries when Tra Kieu (which was then known as
Simhapura) served as the political capital. My Son was the most
important intellectual and religious centre, and may also have
served as a burial place for Cham monarchs. My Son is considered
to be Champa's smaller version of the grand cities of Southeast
Asia's other Indian-influenced civilisations: Angkor (Cambodia),
Ayu-thaya (Thailand), Bagan (Myanmar) and Borobudur (Java).
American bombs have reduced many of the towers to ruins, but
there's still plenty to see.
My Son (pronounced 'me sun') became a religious centre under
King Bhadravarman in the late 4th century and was constantly
occupied until the 13th century - the longest period of
development of any monument in Southeast Asia. Most of the
temples were dedicated to Cham kings associated with
divinities, particularly Shiva, who was regarded as the founder
and protector of Champa's dynasties. Champa's contact with Java
was extensive. Cham scholars were sent to Java to study and
there was a great deal of commerce between the two empires -
Cham pottery has been found on Java and, in the 12th century,
the Cham king wed a javanese woman Because some of the
ornamentation work at My Son was never finished, archaeologists
know that the Chams first built their structures and only then
carved decorations into the brickwork. Researchers have yet to
figure out for certain how they managed to get the baked bricks
to stick together. According to one theory, they used a paste
prepared with a botanical oil that is indigenous to central
Vietnam. During one period in their history. the summits of some
of the lowers were completely covered with a layer of gold.
During the American War this region was completely devastated
and depopulated in extended bitter fighting. Finding it to be a
convenient staging ground, the VC used My Son as a base; in
response the Americans bombed the monuments. Traces of 68
structures have been found, of which 25 survived repeated
pillaging in previous centuries by the Chinese, Khmer and
Vietnamese. The American bombing failed to destroy about 20 of
these, although some sustained extensive damage. Today,
Vietnamese authorities are attempting to restore as much as
possible of the remaining sites.KINGDOM OF CHAMPA
The kingdom of Champa flourished from the 2nd to the 15th
centuries. It first appeared around present-day Danang and later
spread south to what is now Nha Trang and Phan Rang. Champa
became indianised through commercial ties: adopting Hinduism,
using Sanskrit as a sacred language and borrowing from Indian
art. The Chams, who lacked enough land for agriculture, were
semi-piratical and conducted attacks on passing trade ships. As
a result they were in a constant state of war with the
Vietnamese to the north and the Khmers to the southwest. The
Chams successfully threw off Khmer rule in the 12th century, but
were entirely absorbed by Vietnam in the 17th century. The Chams
are best known for the many brick sanctuaries (Cham towers) they
constructed throughout the south. The greatest collection of
Cham art is in the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Danang. The major
Cham site is at My Son, and other Cham ruins can be found in Quy
Nhon and its surrounds, Tuy Hoa. Nha Trang, Thap Cham and
Mui
Ne. The Cham remain a substantial
ethnic minority in Vietnam,
particularly around Phan Rang, numbering around 100,000 people.
Elements of Cham civilisation can still be seen in techniques
for pottery, fishing, sugar production, rice farming,
irrigation, silk production and construction throughout the
coast. While over 80% of the remaining Cham population are
Muslim, the rest have remained Hindu, and many of their ancient
towers in the south are still active temples.